TOKYO, May 24 – Single people in their 20s pay more attention to reducing weight than getting proper nutrition when choosing what to eat, according to a survey conducted by The Norinchukin Bank.
The bank’s officials said the results of the survey indicate the overall decline in interest towards food among young people, stressing the need to promote information on matters related to food.
The questionnaire on diet and food safety awareness, conducted on 400 single men and women in their 20s living in the Tokyo metropolitan area between March 17 and 29, asked them to select issues of interest regarding food, allowing multiple answers.
The largest percentage of respondents – 42 percent of the total and 60 percent of women – chose “calories and losing weight,” up from the second largest percentage in the previous survey conducted in 2014.
“Nutrition,” selected by the largest percentage of respondents in the previous survey, came third in the latest survey after “healthy diet,” which came third in the previous survey.
The percentages of people choosing the top three issues were 43-50 percent in the previous survey, but they dropped to 36-42 percent in the latest survey, indicating the possibility that the overall interest in food declined.
The percentage of people who eat breakfast daily was 46 percent, almost unchanged from 47 percent in the previous survey. Twenty-six percent said they have interest in low-carb diet, which is said to have some negative side effects.
“In recent years, the cases of food-related accidents decreased and there is a possibility that people’s interest in food declined,” said the bank’s spokesperson. “There still are various issues, including the fact that many people don’t have breakfast every day, and it is necessary to continue offering information on matters related to food.”